Life Up Close: The Year’s Best Microscope Views of Biology

Biology can be fascinating at any scale, but the most intriguing aspects are often the ones we can't see without the aid of a microscope. Plants, animals, microbes, and even humans are completely alien, sometimes strange, and almost always beautiful this close up.

8th Place

Edwin Lee, Carrollton, TX

Subject: Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) stamens anthers and filaments. Henbit is an annual plant that is sometimes regarded as a weed. The stamens is the male reproductive part of the flower. During pollination, pollen from the anthers is carried by wind or insects to the stigma of the pistil of another flower, where fertilization takes place.Technique: Phase contrast illuminationMagnification: 100x